The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today warned that the Trump administration’s removal of explicit language requiring cities and states to certify that they do not boycott Israel was a “sham” because other language remains that would still allow the Department of Homeland Security to withhold funds over such boycotts and Secretary Noem has explicitly said that DHS plans to target any potential recipients engaged in the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.
The newly revised August DHS terms remove the April requirement that federal grant recipients certify they do not boycott “Israeli companies or companies doing business in or with Israel.” But in its place remains an opaque clause barring participation in a “discriminatory prohibited boycott,” with no definition or explanation.
Despite DHS telling Newsweek there is “no FEMA requirement tied to Israel in any current [Notice of Funding Opportunity],” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told the press: “DHS will enforce all anti-discrimination laws and policies, including as it relates to the BDS movement, which is expressly grounded in antisemitism. Those who engage in racial discrimination should not receive a single dollar of federal funding.”
In response, CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert S. McCaw said:
“Secretary Noem’s effort to smear human rights boycotts of a foreign government and foreign companies as ‘racial discrimination’ is legally absurd. The right to boycott is protected by the Constitution. Calling criticism of a foreign government ‘racism’ is a dangerous perversion of civil rights law and a transparent attempt to embed an Israel loyalty oath into federal disaster and security grants.
“We acknowledge that DHS stripped the word ‘Israel’ from its grant language, but this is not reform. It’s camouflage. The vague anti-boycott clause that remains can still be weaponized to punish Americans who speak out against Israeli government’s human rights abuses, as Secretary Noem has explicitly said. DHS must reverse course and clarify immediately: Will American citizens, cities or states lose funding for supporting a peaceful, constitutionally protected boycott of a foreign government?
“This clause must be removed entirely. No American should be forced to betray their conscience or abandon human rights advocacy to qualify for disaster relief or security support.”
Vague Language Still Threatens Muslim, Arab, and Palestinian American Access to DHS Grants
CAIR warns that the vague DHS anti-boycott clause—if interpreted to include boycotts of Israel—could disproportionately target Muslim, Arab, and Palestinian American institutions, including mosques and community nonprofits that boycott Israel in response to its ongoing genocide, forced starvation, and military occupation of Palestine.
Denying these groups access to federal funding based on political beliefs would amount to a targeted assault on First Amendment rights and the autonomy of faith-based and civil society organizations.
This concern is especially urgent as the FY 2025 Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) is currently open, but only accepting applications until August 11, 2025, leaving a short window for at-risk houses of worship and community nonprofits to apply for critical security funding.
While CAIR continues to press DHS for full transparency—demanding to know whether the “discriminatory prohibited boycott” clause is being interpreted as a veiled ban on boycotting Israel and whether that will be enforced through NSGP or other grants—CAIR is cautiously encouraging eligible Muslim organizations to apply.
To assist applicants, CAIR has released its “CAIR Preparation Guide: DHS/FEMA Nonprofit Security Grant Program,” offering practical support for mosques, Islamic centers, and nonprofits navigating the current political uncertainty.
CAIR reaffirms its strong defense of the right to boycott and opposes any federal or state effort to criminalize, penalize, or exclude peaceful advocacy for Palestinian rights or other human rights causes from access to public benefits.
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com